NICOLE (Pre-SGW)
For the Post-Super Genesis Wave version of NICOLE, click here. 'NICOLE '''is a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence and one of the major characters in Archie Comics' ''Sonic the Hedgehog ''series. She was originally nothing more than a handheld computer designed to assist Princess Sally, but over the years her program has grown and evolved, developing true sentience and even gaining control of a nanite collective that allows her to construct a proper body for herself as well as many other things. She served as steward and administrator of New Mobotropolis before the Acorn throne was claimed by the sorcerer Ixis Naugus. History Creation NICOLE was created in an alternate future timestream by Rotor the Walrus for Sally Acorn and was sent back through time where/when it proved to be instrumental in helping the Freedom Fighters defeat their version of Dr. Robotnik. The original version of NICOLE was destroyed in that conflict but Rotor would create a new one based on the original years later, and would send the new NICOLE back in time where it would fall into the hands of Princess Sally in the Prime Zone. Aiding the Freedom Fighters When NICOLE was sent back through time, her handheld platform was sealed inside a metallic sphere which appeared to fall to Mobius from space. The Freedom Fighters would discover the sphere but were unable to open it, but the sphere opened itself the following night and the device within introduced itself to Sally, offering her knowledge and guidance so that she might be able to lead the FF to victory over Robotnik some day. For years since her meeting with Sally, NICOLE has offered tactical data and granted the FF superior hacking capabilities to better undermine Robotnik's rule. Over the course of her service, she would also develop certain personality quirks, most notably a sense of humour and a tendancy to use bad slang when in the company of Sonic. As well as being one of the FF's greatest tools in the fight against Robotnik, NICOLE would also become Sally's closest friend and confidant, offering her encouragement and sympathy during difficult times. Evolution During the Second Robotnik War, NICOLE's development would extend by leaps and bounds. During an experiment with the Power Rings, she and Sally ended up switching bodies: NICOLE's consciousness took control of Sally's body while Sally's mind became temporarily trapped inside the handheld computer. Sally and Rotor were able to devise a means of reversing the switch, but in that short time NICOLE experienced the wonders of living like an organic, marvelling at everything she saw and felt, even the simplest things such as moving her limbs, breathing and seeing colours. She even kissed Sonic just before being returned to her platform. Following this event, NICOLE began experimenting independently with the possibility of creating a true body for herself. She managed to temporarily take control of a simulated holographic body, but her handheld platform lacked the energy needed to sustain it for long. One night, she activated her new avatar (which resembled a Mobian lynx, the form she would keep when she eventually succeeded in creating a true body for herself months later) and went outside to take in the night. A slumbering Sally had noticed this mysterious figure leaving her room and followed her to the lake, and when the stranger spoke, Sally realised that it was NICOLE she was talking to. The two were unable to enjoy each other's company for long as NICOLE's avatar consumed too much power for her handheld form to provide, and so the avatar faded out of existence. NICOLE would have her chance to enjoy a physical life some months later after Sonic had defeated Dr. Eggman's renegade sentient virus, A.D.A.M.. The nanite city that A.D.A.M. had constructed had been left abandoned following his deletion and NICOLE - whom A.D.A.M. had tried to hijack using a nanite infection - began discretely reconfiguring the nanite city to suit the needs of Knothole's citizenry. The reconfigured city would later serve as the salvation of Knothole's citizens when Eggman later launched his invasion of Knothole City. All of Knothole's people - with the exception of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose and NICOLE - had been captured by Eggman and transported to his Egg Vineyard in New Megaopolis. Using NICOLE's hacking ability, the heroes launched a daring rescue attempt, freeing their captured friends from Robotnik's Egg Grapes and reprogramming his teleport beam system for when he inevitably tried to recapture them. Eggman pursued his former captives in his Egg Beater armour, using its teleportation beams to beam his victims back to the Egg Grapes. However, NICOLE had programmed the teleporter system to send everyone to the nanite city, which by then NICOLE had finished reconfiguring into New Mobotropolis, a near-perfect replica of the Acorn kingdom's former capital. Not only that, but the city was drawing power from the nuclear radiation that was saturating Robotropolis, providing a near limitless supply of energy. With her program now spread into every nanite in New Mobotropolis, NICOLE was able to create a proper body for herself and could exist within the city as a Mobian. NICOLE has maintained this ability ever since. Iron NICOLE Following Dr. Eggman's defeat and psychotic breakdown, the Eggman Empire was supplanted by the Iron Dominion. During her tenure of control over Eggman's territory, the Iron Queen launched several attacks against New Mobotropolis, using her techno-magic to corrupt and control the cybernetic members of the Freedom Fighters: Bunnie Rabbot and Monkey Khan. Her most devastating assault came when she used her magic to take control of NICOLE, thus allowing her to take full control of New Mobotropolis as well. Reprogrammed under the name Iron NICOLE, she allowed the Iron Dominion access to New Mobotropolis at the Iron Queen's directive. Simultaneously, Iron NICOLE placed the city under lockdown by closing it in a metal dome and eventually began rounding up its citizens using the very nanites that made up every part of the environment in order to minimize escapes when resistance started cropping up. The only escapees were Sonic, Tails, Sally and Monkey Khan, who managed to subdue her best efforts using their powers. Now hiding out at Freedom HQ, Sonic and Sally had themselves transported into the digital world via a Digitizer. There they attempted to break The Iron Queen's hold on NICOLE by manipulating the new physics and abilities granted to them in the new world. After some practice, Sally made a firewall around her and NICOLE while Sonic kept the Iron Queen occupied. With the control link between Regina and NICOLE cut, the lynx reverted to her usual self (and reinforcing her coding to resist the Queen's power). NICOLE was weakened and feared that while she was free to take back control of the city, the Iron Dominion still had plenty of reinforcements overseas and could return with greater forces and knowledge. NICOLE and Sally then decided that NICOLE would continue to "''act under her Iron persona" while Sally and the others traveled to the Dragon Kingdom to break down Regina's forces. Reconfiguring her appearance, NICOLE and Sally bid each other farewell before the former made a show of "purging" the latter from the mainframe, informing the Iron Queen that the city remained fully in her control. After this, NICOLE hid the secret location of the Freedom Fighters not taken prisoner within New Mobotropolis, and even came to visit them on occasion to help out, proving quite the resource of information and all things in general. After Geoffrey St. John had joined the team of rebels and accompanied them in their secret hide-away, he briefly threatened NICOLE before being brought up to speed, NICOLE informed everyone there that a "legionizing" was going to take place today in the city's coliseum, prompting them to go into action while NICOLE went back to spying. Her waiting game ended when Sally's team returned from the Dragon Kingdom, and she attempted to take the Iron Queen prisoner while revealing that Sally had freed her and she had built in stronger defenses against Magitek. When the Queen protested her rebellion, calling her a mere computer program, NICOLE countered by saying that she had evolved beyond her original state with the help of her friends. The Iron Queen responded by directly controlling the nanites in order to create a scorpion-like robot vehicle, which NICOLE reacted to with a promise that she would not allow her nanites to be misused by the Iron Queen again. She continued to fight with her, calling up walls of nanites to protect herself from the Iron Queen's attacks, but eventually became disrupted by Ferrum after she used her power to exact revenge on Lien-Da for betraying her. NICOLE and the others then cornered the Iron Queen, now all her allies had left her. But Ferrum wasn't going to go down easy and called upon the city's nanites to form a mechanical dragon. At Sally's enquiry, NICOLE said she couldn't stop her even while using all her resources, but was trying to stop the Iron Queen from using any more of the city's nanites. Everyone manned together to take on the dragon and successfully defeated it. NICOLE then reported to Sally that all seemed stable within New Mobotropolis again and that all of the Yagyu Clan had vacated the city while the Iron Queen was being arrested. During all the commotion, Snively escaped custody and released Eggman from his prison. For a week Sonic kept searching high and low for them, eventually taking NICOLE with him in her computer form to the Eggdome to run scans of everything she could in the building, but initially came up with nothing. However, NICOLE eventually managed to detect a faint signal emanating from a locked storeroom, which she helped Tails to unlock. The source of the signal proved to be deposed Dark Legion Grandmaster Dimitri, whom the trio took back to New Mobotropolis for treatment. After welcoming Sally back from the Dragon Kingdom and agreeing with her assessment that Monkey Khan was well-suited to watch over the territory, NICOLE left Sally alone with Sonic in order to help Tails with Dimitri. Post-Iron Dominion Since the fall of the Iron Dominion, NICOLE has endured many difficulties. She has lost the trust of the people and many have even spoken out against her, hoping that the Freedom Fighters will pull the plug on her. Emotionally wounded by the people's reaction, NICOLE began to isolate herself, but rather than withdraw into the confines of the city's mainframe, her avatar physically shied away into a secluded area where she openly wept. Using the emotions of the people to his advantage, the evil wizard Ixis Naugus has since risen to the position of king of the Republic of Acorn and has called for NICOLE's exile. This exile was only briefly enforced as the Acorn Council - unwilling to put their faith in Naugus's protection following a string of attacks against the city by Dr. Eggman - overturned the decision and allowed NICOLE access to the city's systems again, under monitored conditions. Post-Super Genesis Wave Following the Sonic/Mega Man crossover event Worlds Collide, the Archie Comics' Sonic universe has undergone a tremendous upheaval. Its history has been largely re-written and the origins of certain characters has changed, including NICOLE. All events from before the Super Genesis Wave have been rendered non-canon as a result and thus this version of NICOLE has ceased to exist. Abilities As a computer, NICOLE possesses a variety of abilities. In her hand-held form, she can interface with other mechanical systems, allowing her to access and download information or even provide the Freedom Fighters with control over various unfriendly technologies. NICOLE's computer incarnation also comes equipped with a low power laser, which can be used to cut through metal. In her holographic form, NICOLE has a range of other abilities. Like any real Mobian, she has fully functional limbs and the use of several senses-the latter may not include taste, since NICOLE's holographic self doesn't actually eat. However, she also retains many of her computer abilities, and it is quite possible that her Mobian form has attributes of speed or strength superior to those of a biological being. After taking control of Nanite City and reshaping it into New Mobotropolis, she becomes the control program for the computerized city, making her virtually omnipotent within the limited area. Her new abilities in this point, aside from being able to project her holographic body continuously, include control of all the energy shields and the power to teleport individuals from one area of the city to another, such as she did in re-imprisoning Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, Nack the Weasel, Bean the Dynamite, and Bark the Polar Bear. She also has the ability to almost immediately repair any damage sustained to the city and create new structures on a whim (i.e., causing a wall to form between Amadeus Prower and Elias Acorn to halt their duel), as well as direct control over devices created in the city such as spy probes, but these come at a cost as the destruction of such devices causes her pain. For all of her abilities, she refuses to put the New Mobotropolis nanites to use as a weapon. In digital worlds, her abilities are expanded remarkably to the point she is capable of virtually anything she wishes, making her a fierce opponent to even skilled and experienced fighters like Sonic. Personality NICOLE's personality was originally logical and to-the-point, and she seemed lacking in autonomy. As time went on, NICOLE became more lifelike, most notably developing a sense of humor. This is shown in her tendency to give Sonic little jolts of electricity when he tries to use her, and in her mocking smugness at Rotor's failure to breach the firewall set in place by his own future self. For all of that, she remains a loyal member of the Freedom Fighters, having helped save Sally and the others from fates such as roboticization. Following the accident in which she switched bodies with Sally, NICOLE underwent a major change in outlook. Having experienced the wonders of having an actual body, she began to desire one for herself. Sadly, her dreams did not seem likely to be realized in the near future, given that she doesn't have the power to maintain the body she created for herself. NICOLE remained hopeful, especially given that one of the things she experienced while in Sally's body was the love that her owner feels for Sonic despite their breakup. For at least a brief period after this incident, NICOLE even considered Sonic a "very appealing Hedgehog". In addition, NICOLE has become somewhat philosophical, having developed the opinion that Eggman creates robots to replace the family that he lacks. Ultimately, she was able to sustain a full-time holographic being after Sonic and the rest of the Kingdom of Acorn were relocated to New Mobotropolis. As a result, she has become more confident in herself, even challenging Eggman to his face after he was defeated in his first attack on the new city. In addition to developing a personality, NICOLE has also become friendly to other members of the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix. This was shown during Espio the Chameleon's infiltration of the fallen Golden Hive Colony on behalf of his friend Charmy Bee. NICOLE, his only "companion", assisted him in downloading information from Dr. Eggman's computer database. Under the control of the Iron Queen, NICOLE became a loyal and obedient servant of the Iron Dominion, ruthlessly employing her control over New Mobotropolis to attempt to subdue the citizens. She experienced only the slightest confusion and doubt when Sally attempted to get through to her, but when Sally finally freed her of the Queen's control, NICOLE mused that she felt "mortified" and "furious," though admitted it was somewhat difficult to classify such emotions as she is still unfamiliar with them. Although she no longer had to worry about being controlled after the Dominion's defeat, she began to show signs of guilt and concern for the citizens she was forced to turn against. Thanks to Mina Mongoose's concert, compounded by Naugus using magic to increase fear and distrust, public opinion began to turn against NICOLE, causing her to feel hated and unwanted. Naugus continued to push a campaign of fear against NICOLE, and things only worsened when Sally was roboticized and the Freedom Fighters disbanded. Unable to cope, NICOLE fell into a state of depression, which affected her physical form. She became less and less likely to interact with others in person, speaking largely through screens. However, she was eventually convinced to stop hiding and confront her problems with bravery, and admitted that part of developing emotions involved coping with the negative ones as well. Category:Artificial Intelligence Category:Nanotechnology Category:Holograms Category:Digital Constructs Category:Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)